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Neutral switch or clutch switch.
1) Test the clutch switch carefully. Put bike in gear, pull in the clutch, and press the starter…if the starter runs the clutch switch is good. If it doesn’t run the clutch switch is bad
2) Test the neutral switch. Put bike in neutral. Without pulling in the clutch, pump the starter switch. It the starter runs the neutral switch is good. Conversely it’s bad. Or just put it in neutral and see if the “N” light comes on.
Clean and lubricate the clutch cutout switch. My Ultra has done the same thing twice now and lubing the switch fixes the problem. Used a bit of carby cleaner and compressed air to clean and blow all the **** out, then used a bit of white lithium grease spray to lube. You may need to work the clutch several times while cleaning and spraying. The second time the switch was lubed it took a few gear changes before coming back to normal. It has been about 12 months between fixes so I will try to lube a couple of time a year to stop the problem reoccurring.
Thank you all for commenting on this at least for now I know where to start looking. Appreciate all the input. If the situation reoccurs I will report back
Signs the laft clutch switch pack is not working properly, usually because it gets wet:
1. Cruise control doesn't work
2. Bike won't start in gear with clutch pulled in (bike will start in neutral)
3. Gear indicator does not show
When left switch pack dries out things sometimes work again.
it is coverd under warranty, at least mine was.
Some have said when they spray it with WD40 sometimes it fixes it.
Some have replaced both switch packs to the "lighted" ones and never had a problem
you're on a trip, so perfect time to stop at a different dealer and have them take a peek. who knows, they may have the part on hand and can fix it right away. i know if i were on a roadtrip, i would want to have functioning cruise control.
A couple of my best dealer experiences were when I was "on the road" and in need of a warranty repair.
I was amazed at how well I was treated by a dealership in a town I was just passing through....
I had the same issue on my '22 RK. Dealer replaced the neutral switch under warrantee. It's a $20 part so if you don't want to bother taking it in, it's really inexpensive and super easy to do yourself.
Neutral switch or clutch switch.
1) Test the clutch switch carefully. Put bike in gear, pull in the clutch, and press the starter if the starter runs the clutch switch is good. If it doesnt run the clutch switch is bad
2) Test the neutral switch. Put bike in neutral. Without pulling in the clutch, pump the starter switch. It the starter runs the neutral switch is good. Conversely its bad. Or just put it in neutral and see if the N light comes on.
VSS would cause other issues.
Mine passed those tests, but the issue was intermittent. Item #10 in the posted parts diagram is the neutral switch. I took it out, put a voltmeter on it, and after a few cycles, it failed once. That's all I needed to know. My local dealer is awesome (Bumpus in Memphis, TN) and they took it in had it replaced in about an hour. Hasn't bothered me since.
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